Phil Collins Is First Artist This Year To Wear Three Crowns

March 29, 1985|By Jan DeKnock.

The chart news this week is dominated by Phil Collins, who, as predicted here last week, is at the top of three different lists: No. 1 on the album charts, with ``No Jacket Required,`` and No. 1 on both the singles and adult contemporary charts, with ``One More Night.``

That achievement makes him the first artist to score a ``triple`` of No. 1s in 1985, and the second to have both the No. 1 album and the No. 1 single at the same time. (Wham did it four weeks ago, with the ``Careless Whisper``

single and ``Make It Big`` album.)

But Collins was just part of what was a very noteworthy week on the singles charts. Probably an even bigger story is the instantaneous success of USA for Africa`s benefit single ``We Are the World,`` which debuted on the Billboard charts last week at a phenomenal No. 21 (successful new songs usually start their chart runs at about No. 60 or so), and jumped all the way up to No. 5 this week.

Collins` ``One More Night`` is still strong enough to hold the top spot for one more week--and possible give him another coveted ``triple``--but after that, look for the superstar-studded ``We Are the World`` to move into No. 1. How long it will remain there depends on an important question: Just how sick of this song will listeners get before radio stations stop playing it? The saturation airplay of ``We Are the World`` is enough to kill interest in any single--even one recorded for a cause as good as this one.

Not to be overlooked in the Phil Collins-``We Are the World`` Hoopla is the hotter-than-hot chart action by Madonna, who now has not one but two singles in the Top 10--``Material Girl,`` which held this week at No. 2, and

``Crazy for You,`` which moved from No. 20 to No. 9. Next week, Madonna could join a very elite group of artists who have had two songs in the Top 5 at the same time.

Here are predictions for next week`s singles charts (last week, this column correctly forecast the top three songs and was slightly off on the rest): 1. ``One More Night,`` 2. ``We Are the World,`` 3. ``Material Girl,``

This week`s pick hit: Wham`s ``Everything She Wants,`` a strong follow-up to the British duo`s two straight No. 1 songs--the peppy ``Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go`` and the romantic ``Careless Whisper.`` With ``Everything She Wants,`` Wham offers yet another approach--an R & B-flavored sound that is part Michael Jackson, part Culture Club--that should keep its string of successes intact.

Dud of the week: Kenny Loggins` ``Vox Humana,`` which has so many layers of special effects and studio trickery that Loggins` fine pop voice gets lost in the shuffle. Then, there`s the melody, which sounds just like

``Footloose,`` except when it sounds more like ``I`m Alright.`` Look for this copycat song to fizzle out before reaching the Top 20.